The purpose of TAFDC benefits is to help you keep a home for your child. You can get TAFDC if your child is away, as long as you are still keeping a home for your child and he or she is coming back soon.
In general, you can get TAFDC if your child is away from home for less than 120 days (about four months). Sometimes you can get TAFDC if your child is away a little more than 120 days. You may be able to get TAFDC if your child is away at a residential school or if your child is visiting someone else's home, or if there is some temporary family crisis.
You may be able to get TAFDC if you have shared custody of your child and he or she lives with you for only part of the week.
Generally, you will not be able to get TAFDC for a child if he or she was removed from you by a court order after a care and protection hearing.
Produced by an AmeriCorps Project of Western Massachusetts Legal Services updated and revised Massachusetts Law Reform Institute Last updated October, 2009